


Two Feet, Two Hearts (Little Mermaid AU)

by tobyHall



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, I don't know what I'm doing, M/M, Merman will solace, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, Please Don't Hurt Me, Will Solace - Freeform, city under the sea, i enjoy shipping things, mermaid au, merman au, merman cecil, merman poseidon, percy jackson - Freeform, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3444644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobyHall/pseuds/tobyHall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will the merman has it all; a fancy job, a pretty face, and a respected reputation. In his life under the sea, serving in King Poseidon's palace, all seems well on the outside, but Will is a curious boy. He often daydreams about life above the waters, on land, and what it would be like to live with the mysterious creatures called 'humans'. His curiosity, in a strange way of fortune, takes him places he never thought he'd go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Against the Current

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic wow. Never thought I'd actually do this. Please don't kill me. I have no idea what I'm doing. But please tell me what you think!!!
> 
> This story is based off of the Little Mermaid, but it is not exactly the same. I own no copyright material.

“WHERE IS HE?” the mighty voice of the King could be heard throughout his palace halls. “Where the devil is that Healer?”

Of all the dumb, stubborn things to do, the young healer, of whom the royal family had found much pride in, (somewhat) had skipped his own appearance in the Plaza. The prodigy student was supposed to be giving a speech to the citizens of Atlantis about the new research and medicine in hospital that its healers were developing, how it was supposed to advance the medical technology of blah, blah, blah…

Now, Poseidon could understand how young Solace had lost his interest in the formality, it really was, after all, a boring way of keeping in touch with the subjects, but it was _politics_. It was important that the Healers, a most powerful group of mermen and mermaids, kept up their good relationship with the public. 

However, this Will boy, Poseidon’s own grandson, (although not of the royal family due to some…complications with a previous lover) was doing a terrific job of making that one of the most arduous tasks in the ocean.

“S-Sir, the guards have looked everywhere,” Poseidon’s advisor informed him, “young Master Solace isn’t anywhere to be found!”

Poseidon pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes downcast to avoid the awkward stares of his citizens. He ran his fingers through his black-grey-peppered hair, and flicked his green fish tail. He appeared quite annoyed, on the surface, but really, he too was itching to get this public stunt over with.

“Just keep searching,” he told the advisor, “He can’t be too far off…”

However, Will Solace was, indeed, very far off, off in the farthest reaches of the shining sea city.

 

It was only smart that Will skipped his speech this morning. He would have said something wrong, slipped up somehow, and have had the Elder Healers pestering him about it for the next week or so. He felt bad, for letting them down, but they were trying to turn him into the _absolute perfect golden child_. He would be the pretty face they sent out to do their weekly public stunts, forever on, and for the rest of his life.

Pfft.

Like he was _ever_ going to let that happen. NO.

Will was a natural Healer, but he didn’t take that whole publicity crap. Hey, if the Healers were as talented as everyone thought they were, they wouldn’t have to give speeches to assure the public that everything was good and perfect, like the entire kingdom thought it was.

_Good whales_ , Will thought, _I’m drowning in obliviousness_. He, unlike 99-percent of the Kingdom of the Sea, knew that their world was not perfect, that Poseidon was only keeping up the act as his ancestors had done by keeping their world hidden for millennium upon millennium, but Will wanted, more than anything, to go beyond the wavy boundaries, into the world of them.

Being a Healer was a perfect job, but nothing else got Will’s attention more than even the slightest mention of the two-finned – er, _legged_ \- beings that lurked above their watery world. He obsessed over every other-worldly artifact that he discovered on the ocean floor, and, let me tell you, there were a lot. And Will kept them all.

He swam swiftly, flicking his silvery-blue tail with grace and purpose, navigating over a barren sea floor. Over his shoulder, he bore a seaweed-woven bag. Within it, his daily finds, his precious cargo, were concealed. He knew his race disapproved of the human things, and he didn’t fight it, openly at least, so he quenched his thirst for knowledge about above the seas in different ways.

He arrived at a strange place, a rocky ocean floor, where a good friend of him lived. This friend knew _everything_ about the human world, and he always could identify Will’s finds. It made Will so happy whenever a name could be given to his contraband items.

“Cecil!” he called out to a cave in the rocks, sticking his head into the crevice, and coming nose-to-nose with a russet-haired merman with a tail that was even brighter red. The brown-eyed merman blinked, annoyed with his blonde friend.

“What do you want, Healer?” he said, suppressing a smile. He swam past the healer, making a show of his bright tail, and seated himself on the rocks above his home. “Don’t you know it’s rude to come shouting into my cave? At this hour?”

“The sun’s at highest-point, Cecil,” Will rolled his blue eyes, “If you weren’t such a hermit, you’d be up with the rest of your species as well.”

“Speak for yourself,” the merman tossed his head, his bright hair catching in the current, “You’re not all perfection and prodigy, and I am referring to that there bag you got there.” He grinned and pointed to Will’s bag.

“Always gotta be the snarky one, don’t you, Cecil?” Will said and slipped the bag off of his shoulder.

“Well, bring it here!” Cecil yipped impatiently, he was as curious about Will’s finds as Will himself was, it wasn’t hard to tell.

Will swam up and joined his friend on the rocks. He excitedly pulled his first artifact from his bag and brandished it fancily to his friend, who greedily snatched it from him and looked it over with awe. It was a tarnished silver object, long, slender. It was round and considerably larger on one end, and that end was precariously concave. When looking at it, Will’s reflection was upside-down on the dipped side, but not on the other. In a strange way the object was pretty.

Cecil flipped the object over again and again, running his fingers along every curve, and looking back and forth between the silver and his contorted reflection. He giggled, “It’s a…a…” he began. His eyes squinted as he fought for the object’s name in his head.

“A what?” Will pried impatiently.

“If I remember correctly, it’s…a…it’s a _spurn_!” (a spoon, for you land-dwellers) he said triumphantly. “It’s like a trork, those things they comb their hair with, you know, those things you brought last week, only gentler!” (fork)

Will gaped in awe, “That’s so cool!” he exclaimed. Cecil knew everything. “Oooh!” he squealed and dug into his bag again. He pulled out another slender object, but this one was a very thin rod, with a slightly narrowed tip at one end that produced a smooth point when the other end was pushed in (a pen) that Cecil identified as a rune-rod, a tool that didn’t work under water, but the humans used to write, instead of carving everything into stone like they did down here. The practice of Will providing his informative friend with land-artifacts went on for the next hour or so, and Cecil telling his stories of the stories of these artifacts. There were new ones, like the spurn and the rune-rod, and others (A lightbulb, a shovel, a tie, and a pair of glasses) that Cecil described as sun-pieces, earth-claw, woven jewelry, and eye crystals. Others, like (Coins and a hat) gold sand dollars and cranium coats, they already had in their possession, so not much time was spent fussing over them. As the second hour drew to a close, and the sun had gotten lower, Will sighed, content with his finds, for now.

“What do you say we put those pieces of awesome into the grotto?” Cecil offered when Will’s bag was empty.

“Heck yeah!” Will said and he followed his red-tailed friend into his cave.

Now, if Will found his little artifacts cool, Cecil’s cave/home/hideout/grotto made it hard for him to breathe. Even though he had helped find most of the things in there, and even though he’d spent more time here than studying, it never ceased to make him as giddy as a love-struck, young dolphin. There were thousands, and thousands of artifacts down here, found randomly on the sea floor, in the darkest sea caves, or in the forbidden sunken sea chariots the humans rode above the waves. They had countless little fascinating artifacts, supposedly mundane to the humans, such as the spurn and the eye crystals, all organized according to Cecil and Will’s OCD. There were bigger objects, like the metal stones used to keep the ships from floating away, figurines depicting strange creatures no merman or mermaid had ever laid eyes on, and even sunken boats themselves. The entire grotto was filled to the brim with illegal pieces and forbidden objects. It made Will feel so jittery whenever he thought about what would happen if the citizens ever found out, but these treasures, they were so beautiful, so enthralling, so addicting. How could he ever give them up?

Among all of the things, the thing-a-ma-jigs, the what-cha-ma-call-its, the everything contraband and fun and under the sea, there was one piece, one magnificent finding, that captivated Will above all others.

It lay at the center of the grotto, in a background of alien things. Cecil had found it, when they were but mere merlings, it was already here, in the cave, it was a part of the stone after years of being underwater.  
As they reached the deepest parts of the grotto, after carefully placing today’s finds in their proper places, Will swam up to it, circling it in the gentle current. It was a statue, made of white stone, like the palace walls, but it was hardly related to that place. Two white stone eyes gazed blankly at Will, unseeing, but still a sight to behold. The stone man was cloaked in some weird skin-covering, almost entirely, but his wavy stone hair, Will often wondered what color it could really be, flew wild, rough, and free. Will referred to the noble statue as ‘his prince’, it seemed to glow in the dark grotto, where but little light reached.

“Still fancying over that thing, aren’t you?” Cecil muttered to his friend.  
Will sighed. He let himself sink down into the rock and sand at the stone feet, unsettling a cloud of dust. 

“Always, and you know it,” he said and curled up beneath the stone. Cecil giggled and settled next to him, laying back and crossing his arms under his head. Will gazed silently up at the face of his prince, and longingly at the rest of the thousands of artifacts.

“Cecil?” he said softly.

“I know, friend,” Cecil said with a gentle undertone.

“I wish I never had to go back to Atlantis.”

Cecil turned to his friend, searching, hopelessly, for some anchor in those free-spirited blue eyes, an anchor that prevented the free-spirit from drifting like a piece of driftwood, aimlessly, endlessly. Alas, there was none.

Will seemed to notice his friend's concern. He smiled, lightly, but he was lost nearly entirely in his daydream of feet on dry land.

"There's something wrong you you..." Cecil said, finally, shaking his head.

Will shrugged, "Maybe you're right," he said, "Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I can't see..." He rose from the sea floor and circled the prince, "I just can't see...how a world so terrible can make such..." He touched the stone face of the handsome man, lost in his thoughts, " _such beautiful things..._ "


	2. Dashed Upon Rocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will faces his father. Things take a tragic turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a heart. I don't know if this is feelsy or not.

"Apollo, talk to the boy," she whined to her husband, obviously quite flustered. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily, "try to get things through his thick head." The blue-tailed mermaid swam out of the dwelling, hoping her husband would have more luck with their son than she.

The merman sank to the floor of their home, resting on his golden tail. This made him eye-level with their teenage boy, who scowled and looked away, not meeting his father's gaze.

"Will," he began, although he felt more useless than sand talking to the stubborn boy, "you really let them down today," nailed it. Keep going, "what you did not only upset your Elders, and the King," he listened to his son scoff, but continued, "but you upset _us_ , your family. And what's worse, you deliberately disobeyed orders, fully aware of the consequences." He watched as his son's shoulders sank and he hung his head in defeat. Triumphant in his pursuit, yet Apollo felt terrible to have made his sunny child so sad.

"I just didn't want to be in front of those people," Will said quietly. "It makes me feel...not modest."

"Almighty?" Apollo suggested for a better term.

"Yeah..."

The golden merman huffed a sigh, "It's okay, Will," he said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder, "I know it doesn't become you to be up so high, but you have to understand that the Council of Healers is only using your face because it's appealing and friendly to the public. All you have to do is listen to them, they'll leave you alone, I promise. And then, when they find a new face, they'll leave you alone entirely."

His father grinned brightly, it was reassuring. His words, they seemed powerful somehow, they always did. Will wanted to listen to him, to nod his head and obey like a good son, but the more he thought about it, the pointless, meaningless life, the absolute waste of time, he felt angry. He didn't want to be some plaything for the grimy, old Elders too ashamed of their old wrinkles so they use his sunny face.

"So you're saying," Will looked up into his father's eyes, "that I should just play along with their game of toys, and just be a pretty face until they're bored of me?"

"Will," Apollo said sternly, but never got to finish his statement.

The blonde boy darted from their home in the coral, obviously upset.

"Will!" His father called out and swam after his son.

Will swam into the current, where dolphins and sharks and mermen and mermaid swam. He darted over and under chariots, ignoring indignant cries. He didn't really want to talk to his father. Not now. Not ever. He was mad.

"Will!" He could hear his father's voice. A hand grabbed his and held him. He tried to break free.

"Let me go! Let me go, stupid idiot!" He cried, not the best insult ever, but he could do much worse.

"Will. No, stop this right now." His father's voice shook with worry, "If you're going to do anything, don't be so reckless." He flinched as a chariot veered to avoid them. They were caught in the middle of the current, but at the moment, Will could care less.

"No! You don't care! And I don't care either!" He struggled wildly, but his father's grip on his arm remained like iron.

"No, I _do_ care, Will! Please, just listen to me-"

Will flicked his tail upward, sending a flurry of bubble into his father's face. His grip slackened and Will broke free. He flung himself into the current.

"Will!!" His father screamed. Suddenly, there was a screech and a chorus of screams. Will turned around, to see a dolphin-drawn chariot try to stop too abruptly. His father was only feet away. He whipped his tail, trying to reach his father, but he was too late.

In a flurry of fins and metal, he watched the chariot collide. He was powerless. Mermen rushed from their own commute to investigate. The driver of the chariot began to pull his dolphins away. One of the creatures floated limply in the current. Dead.

Will didn't stay to see what he knew already. His heart was pounding in his chest. He felt the stares of the merpeople as they recognized him. With a flick of his tail, he darted away into the lonely ocean.

\- - - - -

Cecil awoke to a strange sound. He yawned like a leopard seal and stretched. Will shouldn't be coming around today. He was busy with work. He was by himself, in his cave, wasting the afternoon away napping, alone, right? Right? Apparently not.

He heard the strange sound again. It was like a seal whimpering. Only, it sounded like a boy. Curious, he swam to the mouth of his grotto.

"Will?" He said softly as his eyes rested on the merman who was laying pathetically on his side.

Will didn't respond. He hid his face in his hands. His body was shaking with sobs.

"Will...!" Cecil swam to his friend's side, settling gently next to him. He helped the blonde merman to a sitting position, and let his head rest on his lap. "Will...? What's wrong?" He brushed Will's hair away from his face. The broken merman only shook his head and continued to whimper and sob. "C'mon," Cecil said with a gentle tone, "Let's get you inside, I can make you something nice to eat."

He carried his friend into the grotto, making sure to keep his head up, so he wouldn't knock his head into anything. He let Will wrap his arms around his neck, and cry, not so quietly, into his chest.

"There, there," Cecil tried very hard to calm his friend down. "You don't need to tell me anything, not if you don't want to. I'm not going to make you." He set Will down at the feet of his statue and wrapped his seaweed blanket over him.

Smiling at him, he flicked his tail and went to the stores of his grotto and fetched some fish and kelp cakes for his friend. It wasn't much, normal junk food of the sea, but Cecil didn't have much else to offer.

"Here you go," he set and held the food out on a plate. Will didn't even look up. "Come on now," Cecil said and scooted closer to his friend. "You want me to just...leave you alone?"

Will shook his head shakily and leaned over so his head was in Cecil's lap. The red merman rested his hand on Will's head and ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it out. "Poor guy..." He murmured.

Will continued to cry for over an hour, and he hadn't spoken one word. Granted, he had been blubbering incoherently, but Cecil was unable to make anything out of it. The merman was _really_ upset. Cecil could only guess what was going on in that head of his.

The sun was staining the sea red when Will finally fell completely silent. He lay in the grotto still, sound asleep at the feet of the statue. Cecil continued to keep him company. He swam around him, not too close, but still close enough so that he could hear him in case he needed anything. He was genuinely worried about his best friend, even though he wasn't sure Will knew.

However, Will did know. The merman was completely aware of his surroundings. He just felt numb to any sensation at the moment. Take into account, he had good reason to, as well. He'd just witnessed the death of his father, a consequence of his own idiotic actions. He would probably never be welcomed back to Atlantis. Ever. What's worse, he hadn't even made amends with his dad. He had died when Will was angriest at him. It sunk in that he would never know how much Will grieved him. And his mother, _his mother_ , did she know that her husband was dead? Did she know it was his fault? Yes, there was a reason Will had refrained from dwelling on the thoughts, it would destroy him, utterly.

Will pulled his tail closer, curling into a ball in the sand. He fought the emotions at bay, like the demons they were. He couldn't let them reach his soul. He would never come out of the darkness that threatened to engulf him if he allowed the dark thoughts to consume his very being. He had to focus away from the memories, the dark brooding feelings, he had to find something good, something that made him feel better. His childhood, it was happy, but filled with eyes on him, and pressure from high-up relatives. It made him think of the Elders, the dumb bastards. He tried to find condolence in his memories of his healing career, but he was met with quite a similar scenario. Even the artifacts around him couldn't bring him towards the light, for they were part of the spark that helped him to discover his inner free-spirit, the reason he had found reason to break away from the norm in the first place.

He just felt pity for himself now. What happiness, true happiness had he had? He was worthless, totally pathetic. He should have just given up a long time ago. There was no place in the world for pretty faces, and that's all he was, a pretty face disposable to the bigger project. He had no escape. Was there no other place for him?

Will began to cry again, a little more violently now. He rocked back and forth, hugging his tail to his chest and sobbing. It was uncontrollable.

Then, he felt something warm around him. He opened his eyes, his sobs pausing for a mere second when he looked up at Cecil, pulling him into a hug.

"There, there," the russet-haired boy said, "You don't have to cry." he rubbed Will's back soothingly and the blue-tailed merman clenched onto Cecil's embrace, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I did a horrible thing, Cecil," he whispered through the racking sobs.

Cecil just shook his head, "If you feel such remorse for it, then you shouldn't feel guilt for it. You regret, and you're willing to forgive and forget. That doesn't sound very horrible to me. Does it to you?" he tilted his head, meeting Will's blue eyes. "There's is no such thing as an unforgivable crime."

Will sniffed, and managed a very, very slight smile. "You sure about that?" He said. He leaned deeper into Cecil's embrace as the red-headed merman stroked his hair.

"Yes," Cecil said, "Very much so."

"Well,even so," Will sighed, lifting his head up to look the cunning merman in the eye, "I still don't think I can tell you, I still don't feel comfortable saying it aloud."

"Well, what _do_ you want to tell me?"

Will locked his blue eyes on Cecil's brown ones. "I'm going to leave Atlantis." he said with certainty as solid and hard as the statue they lay 'neath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I didn't intend for things to work out like this. It just kind of happened.
> 
> And.
> 
> Sorry if it seemed like there was only one chapter and that was it. I am new. I don't know all the mechanics or what else you call it.  
> Smiles!


	3. A World Beyond the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico runs away from his home, but where does that get him?
> 
> Will finds himself in strange waters, and in a world beyond his wildest imaginations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH this is my repent for the awful chapter 2.

“Stupid parents,” the boy sobbed as he stumbled along the beach, “and their stupid pride.” He snarled.

Nico di Angelo had finally done what he had been threatening to do for the last three months; he’d just run away from his cushy and luxurious life in the city. Now, he was regretting a lot of it. The wind howled in his face, the rain beat his skin raw. He wished he was home, but then, he reminded himself, _oh yeah, you can’t go home, dumbass._

And why would he want to? The only things waiting there for him were his cruel father and his wicked stepmother. He hated them both with a burning passion that was beyond comprehension.

When his mother passed away, Nico and his sister, Bianca, had been left under the care of his father, who had once been a kinder man, but had turned sour with the death of his beloved and too many nights under the influence of alcohol. He had been a rich lawyer, once, and they lived off of their billions of dollars easily, but then, _she_ came along.

Nico had instantly hated Persephone Goldenfield. The woman, the siren, as pretty as she was, was the devil in every way possible, except when around Nico and Bianca’s father. Then, she was an angel. She helped him out of his depression, but whenever he was not around, she would viciously lash out at his children, jealous that they weren't hers. Nico and Bianca spent a lot of their lives hiding from her. Things like belts, wooden spoons, and other things she used to beat them with became triggering. Out of the two siblings, however, Nico was the one who bore the brunt of Persephone’s wrath.

She hated him, and he unto her. Everything he did, she criticized. He was always fighting to prove himself, to only avoid her harshness. Bianca was his only friend, his only solace, and now, like their mother, she was gone.

After wandering on the beach for hours and hours in the pitch black night of the storm, he collapsed into the sand, exhausted and in despair. Nico wept bitterly, for the longest time. He cried, and cried, praying, to anything, that it would stop hurting so much, but wounds, whether physical or emotional, do not go away that easily. His tears mixed with the rain, and Nico wept until he passed on into sleep.

\- - - - -

Will had never been this far away from home before, but, he supposed it really didn’t matter; he didn’t want to go back anyways. He avoided thinking about the events of the last few days. Swimming helped immensely. He didn’t really know where he was, but it was interesting, and different. Fish occupied the waters, the waters themselves were murky with odd pieces of material that floated by and, as Will discovered the hard way, were inedible. He met many whales, and he followed them in their pods, avoiding any danger by sticking with the great beasts. He loved to listen to their songs anyways. Although these new waters were nice, so far, everything here seemed to be...Will searched in his mind for the word...tainted. The fish were numerous in variety, but few in population, plus lacking in color. The water was quite dirty, but he didn't know from what. The worst thing he'd seen so far, however, were the whales. Every one he had found, even the youngsters, had nasty scars criss-crossing their skin. Some were new, some seemed to be as old as he was and older. He felt bad for the poor animals. It broke his heart even more when he stumbled upon what seemed to be the culprit behind the scars.

Will had seen nets before, he'd used them to catch fish back home, but this was beyond his comprehension. The net that the gargantuan body floated in encased the entire whale. The poor thing couldn't swim, therefore, he had died a cold, watery death. Whatever creature that made the nets, who ate the whales, he did not want to run into. He had heard of hostile merpeople before, and he did not want to take the chance and doubt them. Still, what horridly huge monster would be capable of catching and preying upon whales? The thought seared a cold fear into Will, and he decided to keep moving through the waters, fearful that the monsters may catch up to him.

\- - - - -

As he continued through the water, Will took note that the sea floor seemed to be rising. _Odd_ , he thought, _I don't think I've seen this before_. He followed its ascent, albeit cautiously. He got to a certain point in his climb to the top of the rise, then stopped when he realized something. Being a marine mammal, he was able to adjust to changes in pressure without telling his body to do so, so he was taken aback when he realized just how close he was to the surface of the sea.

It was a place no merman or mermaid ever dared to go, every primal instinct he had was telling him to swim away, but...the sight of the rippling waves, the pull of the newborn current, it was mesmerizing. It was so much brighter here, so close to the surface, where the sun shone untainted on the waters, so unlike his deep sea home, lit only by the bio-luminescent creatures in the night. Will felt himself flick his tail and he began to swim, ever so cautiously to the surface. Then, like coming out of a trance, he realized the distance, or lack of thereof, between him and unknown waters...er...whatever you would call it. He was so close, that he was resting his tail on the sea floor, and his head was just bobbing beneath the waves.

He could just reach out and...Nope. He pulled his hand back quickly, debating. This whole thing seemed surreal. He'd only dreamed of his world beyond the seas, now, it was scaring him out of his wits, standing so openly before him. He shivered. It was either now, or never. Will willed his body to float upwards ever so slightly, and he pushed his head, ever so slightly, above the waves. He only peeked at the realm, before going back down under, but, what he had unbelievably seen drew him back up again.

He drew in a breath as he poked his head above the waters. Only his eyes and above did he dare to bring above the waves, but it was enough; he was looking onto the horizon, a stretch of earth, that defied everything he'd ever seen and extended above the waves, in a beautiful and endless hill above the sea, covered in sparse seaweed that swayed in a waterless current. He looked up, into a vast stretch of nothingness, but it wasn't nothingness, it was beauty in a purest form. The upwards were blue, like the sea, however, it was lighter, and streaked with white foam that slowly but surely inched along, like the lazy sea foam. This thing, his father, he remembered painfully, he had called it 'sky'...it was where the sun came from. Speaking of the sun, Will turned somewhat, a brighter thing catching his eye, and he was nearly blinded. His sea-eyes were so sensitive, and he had never realized it until he was staring at the sun in all its pure, untainted light.

He winced, shielding his eyes, but, he had to look upon this new world once more, it was just so enthralling. He gazed around, one last time, trying to take in every little detail. Oh, the sky, he loved it so much, it was so vast, and clean, and he wished he could see the land. With all his heart, he desired to walk upon the shores and explore every little thing and creature there was to see. He giddily giggled and submerged again. _Tomorrow,_ he swore, _tomorrow, I will see this world, even if it kills me._

\- - - - -

 _A head_ Nico thought, _he had seen a head, just bobbing at the surface_. He had stared at it, watched its curious eyes look around, like a baby who had just opened its eyes for the first time. He scoffed, when he realized where his imagination was wandering. It was impossible, he'd thought. He was going to blow it off as some scuba diver or a seal, when he heard the unmistakable sound of human laughter. It was the prettiest sound he'd ever heard, like bells, almost.

Then, it had just disappeared, just like that, and Nico did not see it again. For the first time, in many years, Nico remembered a story his mother, his real mother had told him. It was about a creature, half man, and half fish, with a voice comparable to a choir of angels, and just as beautiful. _Mermaids._


	4. All I See is Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will discovers the wonders of this new stretch of ocean, it's bounties, and its dangers.

The sun began to light up the ocean waters, and Will dared to emerge from the sunken human-chariot in which he'd spent a very restless night. He held his spear ready, just in case more of the terrifying sharks decided to return. Yeah, his night had been rough, and he'd barely slept. There had been many sharks, many. He had crawled and tucked himself away in the farthest corner of the underwater ruin, and prayed the bloodthirsty fish wouldn't find him. They hadn't, and he awoke unscathed, but terribly sleep deprived.

Despite the wondrous events of yesterday, he was feeling borderline miserable again. His stomach felt like it was gnawing on itself, and he was stiff from trying to get comfortable on rotting wood. He chastised himself for not bothering to practice his survival techniques more. Will had spent most of his life practicing healing and not really paying attention to the sport-hunting that many of the rougher merman of his age enjoyed. It was always a bit too barbaric for him.

Now, he didn't have the time or energy to dwell on past mistakes; he had to find food, now. Gripping his spear, the merman swam off into the blue waters.

Will wasn't a picky eater, he ate mostly what everyone else ate. That was a diet of generally fish and sea plants. His favorite was actually shark, but...he would rather _not_ at the moment. He would also settle for squid, and crabs and other crustaceans. He knew herring, or mackerel would be best, it was high in energy, but whatever he could get, he could deal with.

It did not take long, at all, for Will to find his first prey. It was a group of bluefish, nothing uncommon, but Will knew they were predatory. They were known to snap at other predators, but seldom, sometimes also taking a digit or two with them, they also looked delicious.

These fish, unfortunately, were young, and only about half the size of Will's arm. He felt like he could eat an entire school of them. Still, it was better than nothing, he supposed. The merman angled his spear and began to stalk the fish.

He approached them slowly, making but the slightest movements of the tail. He'd done this before, but not under such dire need. He drew on the memories of his father teaching him to throw a spear for the first time. The basics, which, in his little size, had seemed so complex and foreign, but he still rose to the challenge. After all, his family had a reputation for being skilled with projectile objects. Spearing things wasn't his calling, but he was still a natural at it.

_Steady your hands, Will_. Will steadied his hands, as he pointed the tip of the spear at the fish, unaware of his presence. _Pull back, let the current do the work, relax, and do not try to control it, it will do that on its own_ , his father's mentoring words _, trust me_. And Will did.

He flung the spear, letting it pierce the water, and pierce the fish's scale. The other fish darted from the scene, startled. The pierced fish flailed, it tried to swim away, but it eventually gave up. Will swam over, and plucked the spear from the current.

"Thank you, fishy," he said, a sign of gratitude to the fish, for giving its life so he could live. He lifted the limp fish from the spear and held it to his face with both hands. He wrapped his tail around his spear to still himself in the tugging current, and sunk his teeth into the flesh. He sighed in content delight, savoring the freshness of the fish. It was the best thing he'd tasted, ever. Soon, and to his dismay, he'd picked the bones clean of fish. Then, subconsciously, he returned to the hunt.

The early day went on, and he'd speared and eaten two other, smaller, bluefish, though not without difficulty. He'd missed more times than he'd like to have done, and sometimes the fish saw him and swam off. It was quite frustrating, but Will eventually filled his stomach with more fish.

\- - - - -

Soon, the sun was at highest-point. _The sun_ , Will thought, suddenly distant, _I have to go up again_. Yes, the surface, when he looked to its mesmerizing wonder, he felt drawn to it, yet again. All his mind was bent to it, all his heart, and he swam upwards.

He forgot himself, as he reached the edge of the water. The border between his world, the world he knew better, and the alien world, a dry wonder, it was so thin, yet, at the same time, so different. Maybe, just maybe, that was why Will found a passion and affinity for it.

He pushed his head above the waves, and gazed upon the world above, once again. He squealed like a baby dolphin in delight. The sky, oh, it stretched on forever and ever, ceaselessly. It was _so blue_ , the bluest blue of blue he'd ever seen. The ocean, it was blue too, but it was an all-consuming, and treacherous blue, with secrets and danger. But this, this _sky_ , he played with the pretty word on his tongue, it was open. It was light, and seemed to represent a new-found freedom. Will peered, he gazed, and dreamed about the sky for what seemed to be forever. _Why in the world would anyone want to keep this away....? Why is this place thought to be so evil? All I see is wonder, and all I see is light._

_I don't get it.  
_

Soon, he would.

His head began to feel weird after a while, he figured it was because of the heat of the sun that he was not used to, not yet. Will, reluctantly, dove back under the water. He moaned, a moan of longing, he wanted to see the land, and he wanted to see all that it had to offer. His curiosity was growing faster than it ever had in his life, and he wished, more than anything now, that he could have two legs, to just travel upon the sand and earth. Will sighed, a deep sigh, and sunk down to the ocean floor. What a ridiculous dream, that's what they all would say back home, but Will wasn't home. He grimaced as he was reminded bitterly of the past days' events he'd been trying to forget.

In all honesty, Will missed his old home. It wasn't like he could just throw those memories away, no! He missed Cecil, and their grotto. He missed his mother, and even his job. He missed Atlantis in general. Will was homesick. He missed his father. He swallowed, trying to swallow the painful memories down with it. Of course, it was futile, and Will let out a little sob and his entire body frame seemed to shrink as the pity set in.

He struggled to push it all away, there was no use in crying. What's done, is done. It was as simple, and as cruel, as that. He couldn't go back. As bad as it made him look, he didn't even really want to, not when he would have to conform to society, once again. He gazed up at the forbidden world. No, he wouldn't go back.

Still, his throat choked on another sob. Still, he was hurting. Still, the shame would not leave him. He needed to clear his mind. He couldn't be allowed to dwell on these bad thoughts. For, surely, if he focused on them for too long, they'd consume him with guilt.

Yes, he would hunt again, that seemed like a good way to take his mind off of things. Will unwound his tail from the spear and gripped the carved driftwood tightly. He swam off into the deep sea.

\- - - - -

The blue-tailed merman closed in on a school of herring. _Delicious!_ Even though he wasn't hungry, he could do with the high-energy meal. Will darted after the fish, following their school in a frantic path. He was focused on them, the prey, and that alone. He didn't want to focus elsewhere. He got closer and closer to the fish, swimming blindly, like a raging shark. He was so close...almost there. Then, he flung his spear, with the great force of a crashing wave, into the herring.

"Got ya!" he exclaimed, and slowed his pursuit, but, before he could retrieve his catch, a startling force slammed into his back and dragged him mercilessly through the sea. _A net._

He cried out. He fought against the sudden wall of force, but it entangled him and the thousands of fish in its path and held them all in a horrible captivity. He tried, desperately, to swim forward, but Will was caught up in the squirming bodies of all of the other poor fish.

On all sides of him, pressure built up, and the fish and their wriggling squished him from all around. He was suffocating, he couldn't move. He felt the pressure, the deep sea, dissolving, they were all being pulled upwards. He couldn't see anything, not through the silver, slippery, slimy bodies. But, Will felt something else. He felt heavier, as if the ocean were...slipping away.

He tried to regain his sense, a hard thing to do, in that situation, but, the water, it was draining away. Will realized, everything had turned eerily quiet. He too, fell silent, like a scared animal child, trying to hide from danger. Then, voices reached his ears. He dared not to breathe.

Suddenly, all of the world seemed to be pulled out from under him, and he fell, and the fish fell. He hit the surface of something hard, very hard, and he was met with dizzying darkness, and the sound of shocked and surprised voices. He gave way, and passed out.


	5. Bloody Hell

_I want to go home_ , he thought, _I don't want to be here, anywhere but here._

Will was unconscious, laying awkwardly on some hard surface, swaying from side to side sickeningly. He begged himself to wake up, to get up, get out, just do something besides lay here so vulnerably. His body felt like rock, so heavy, without the support of the water to float on. No, he was above the surface, on dryness.

"What...what _is it?_ " He heard a voice say. The masculine voice sounded familiar to that of a merperson.

"It's a lad..." He heard a gruffer voice mutter, almost with disbelief.

"But...that _tail_!" A third voice, there was.

"What will we do with it?"

"Should we throw it back?"

"Is it even alive?"

"Should we kill it?"

All these questions that were being spoken by the mysterious voices were coming into Will's ears, but, try as he might, he couldn't wake up.

"Look!" An excited voice exclaimed, "It's _breathin_!"

"It's...it's alive..." The questioning voices turned into shocked ones, filled with awe.

"Hey, somebody, poke it,"

Will felt something hard, and blunt, touch his side. He jolted as he felt his nerves waking up, from their dormancy. His blue eyes snapped open and he looked upon his captors.

They all jumped back, shouting and hollering about a live monster, but Will was astounded, too perplexed to notice much. His captors, they were _humans_. Looking around him, everything was foreign, strange, and terrifying.

The humans wore weird skins, of different dull colors, over their torsos, their legs, and heads, with weird, hard skins on their feet. They looked grimy, dirty, with fish blood among other things on the skin he could see, and, above all, not quite what Will had expected.

The humans finally calmed down, but, even though Will hadn't moved an inch, they had all backed away quite a distance. They were all on a sea-chariot, Will noticed, it too was disgusting. Everything on it he'd seen before, pulleys and other paraphernalia, but these things all looked deadly when they weren't rusting and rotting at the bottom of the ocean.

He looked around him, at the fish. Heartbreaking, it was.

There were thousands of them, all laying about and flopping feebly. There were so many, more fish, more food, than he had ever seen in his lifetime. Back home, it would have been a terrible crime to fish like this, over indulging in the ocean's wealth, taking without limit. How much did these humans need to eat, anyways?

A lot, apparently. And, if these land-dwellers were so used to killing, to the destruction of innocent life, then, what was to stop them from killing him? He was weak, vulnerable. His spear, his only means of defense, was nowhere to be seen, probably sunken to the bottom of the ocean by now. Not to mention, every single one of the humans looked like they could tear him apart with their bare hands.

Will felt fear creep, like a current of ice-cold water, up his spine. He looked around, like a caged animal, which was the situation he was in at the moment, his blue eyes darting from human to the next, sizing them up.

One of the men, a thin twig of a human, spoke up, "I don't like the way he's lookin' at us," he muttered, and he gripped a wooden pole that he held like a spear, "it's like a wild beast, he is,"

"C'mon now," another spoke up, "what's he gonna do? He ain't got no lets, no nothin', the fish is harmless."

At that, Will snarled at the men, but, this time, instead of backing away like before, they laughed mockingly, and edged towards him. Terror prickled at the back of his mind, as the merman tried to back away, struggling against the new force of gravity like a seal out of water. Everything was working against him, at that moment. His tail was so awkward, his skin was losing moisture, a new, disgusting sensation was making his lips crack and bleed, he couldn't get off of the pile of dead fish fast enough, and those humans were just taking their time getting closer to him.

"Hey, hey, come on now," they called and held out their hands, palms up. It seemed like a friendly gesture, but Will only snarled and growled like a sea lion. Given the choice between these scale-less land-people, he'd take the ferocious sea lion in a heartbeat.

He wondered what wonder he ever saw in these beasts to begin with.

They got closer, and closer, forming a circle around him, and dashing away all hopes of escaping to the sea. They tried to grab him, they poked him with their poles, like he was some play-thing for them. He snarled, and growled, and bit down wherever he could, as they all, frustratingly taking their time, tried to catch him. One man's hand got way too close to Will, and he bit down hard on hid, eliciting a howl of pain from the man.

"That bloody bastard!" the man howled and clutched his bleeding hand, while glaring at Will.

Will sneered in triumph, but as fast as he backed away, he came back and struck Will across the face with a snap of the pole. His vision swirled, and for a moment he thought he was going to blackout again, from the pain alone. That wasn't the case. The pain that seared hot across his face like water above a volcano, it began to fuel instincts, ancient ones, made dormant by civilization, as he swung his head back around in an animal-like fury and screeched at the men, with a voice of a creature truly from the depths of the sea.

They paused, momentarily, debating if they should risk their fingers for the sake of sport. Will snorted, like a triumphant laugh, when suddenly, fingers dug into the back of his neck. The fingers clamped around his gills, although not in use, and he gagged against the discomfort. He was lifted abruptly off of the ground and into the air by a beast of a man. Weightless.

"Make one move, sea-demon," a gruff voice growled into Will's ear, "and I'll run you through with this here knife. Do you understand me?" he poked Will in the side with a sharp tip, and Will showed his teeth, "Now, be a good little sea-demon and-"

The human never got to finish his sentence as Will, utilizing the freedom of the air, swung his tail and hit the man square in the gut, with a force that would have been equal to getting hit with the bat of a professional baseball player. The man gasped and dropped Will down to the hard surface again, cursing with words Will had never heard before. The merman grinned at his victory.

"Why you little...!" the man picked up a spear, and looked at Will with a look of pure hate, "Imma drive this point through you till even the sea can't draw anymore blood from you!" he howled. The rest of the men took a good plenty of steps back.

Will returned his with another screech, and backed away from the raging human, as best as he could. The edge of the chariot was open, no stinking humans between him and the water. Now if he could just get there...

He flipped around, using his tail and the slime on the hard surface to propel himself away from the man's assault. He heard indignant cries as some of the men went after him. Not good.

Will flipped again and knocked some roundish cylinders over, that spilled out piles of dead fish, causing the men to slip and slide awkwardly. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. But there were still more men with poles and blades coming after him. He pushed himself forward, dodging around all of the alien objects, darting quickly with the blood fish slime on his body, frustrating the men. More cylinders of fish were emptied, and the men went sliding. The edge of the chariot was almost within his reach. He was so close. The boat swayed, in his favor, and sent him sliding gleefully towards the edge.

He was there, he could see the glistening peaks of the waves. Then, out of the corner of his eye, movement flashed, and time seemed to slow as the man, the one he'd hit, lunged out. The merman reacted, but all too late, as the man threw a net over him and brought his knife down. It sunk into the soft flesh of his tail, ripping it open, raw and red, as he slid, hooking him to the hard surface. And, in the exact same moment, Will swung around, against the pull of the knife in his flesh, aimed for the closest the man was to him, and brought his jaws down upon his hand, ripping his index finger off.

He flung the bloody blade off, with a strong flick of his tail, inciting pain, but free.The man was screaming and howling in pain like a demon, and that made Will only more anxious to rid himself of the dry hell. The men came after him, in a last wave of attack, but the screams of the bitten man was the last thing he got from them, before giving one last final push, and flinging himself over the edge, net, blood, and all.

 

\- - - - -

He could have cried out of happiness when he hit the water.

Will allowed the ocean's cool embrace wash away the sun's damage in a moment of pure relief. He breathed in deeply, as he swam away from the chariot, quenching his dry throat, allowing his gills to go back to their normal purpose. That was all he could do really. The salt stung his wounds, and he was reminded that he was still tangled in the net when he tried to move too wildly. Still, he was thanking the sea gods, however numerous they were, for his salvation.

He swam for a long time, half the reason was to make it to shallow waters, where the sharks were lesser in number, and the other half was to just _feel_ the water he never thought he'd miss so much. Whatever other reason there was, he willed himself into a bay, a quiet one, as the sun was setting. His limbs were numb, and there was discomfort in every other part of his body. His tail, where the gash was long, deep, and raw, especially hurt. He dragged himself, trying to find a current to carry him, towards a shallow cove.

Yes, this looked like a safer place. Will didn't even care, not now. He was away from most danger, and he was tired as hell. He let himself sink in the shallow waters, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he hit the sand.


	6. Free!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico tries to forget the past and, in the midst, stumbles upon something out of a fairy tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NICO. Finally.

The sound of the ocean waves on the shore and the salty singing of seagulls woke Nico from his sleep that morning. It was a nice thing to wake up to, the young boy thought, even though he himself wasn't really one for the beach. The serenity of the pale, morning sky against the gentle low tide was a calming scenery, so quiet, and so pure, yet still caught in the motion of life.

Nico pushed himself off of his bed of sand and grass, sitting up to face east towards the rising sun, taking in all that surrounded him, its beauty and tranquility. His hate forgotten in the still moment, he breathed a deep breath of the sweet air. How could the world he belonged to offer such little relief from its harshness, was he the only one to know the full power of anger? No, that was radical thinking, and it barely graced the troubled teen's mind as he looked yonder, over the blue-green waters of the Atlantic.

Nico brought his knees to his chest and hugged them. He was hungry, kind of filthy as well, but he didn't feel like he had the need to move anytime soon. The boy was content to sit in the sand of his hidden cove and contemplate. The _world hides so many answers_ , he sighed, _like the world above the clouds, or below the sea._

 _The se_ _a_.

Nico's dark eyes drifted over the rolling waves, as they crashed to the shore in rhythmic repetition. He never really liked the beach, but he'd never hated it. Now, it's emptiness gave him sanctuary from the harsh eyes of life. The waves, the blue body, mesmerized him. To pass the time, he imagined the waves to be pictures, similar to how another boy would make pictures out of clouds in the sky.

Pushing his angry thoughts away, momentarily forgetting the painful last few days, Nico watched the dance of vibrancy and life in the sea at his feet, the colors and shapes of life. Nico saw pull of the current as a playful dolphin, swimming with the grace of an angel. He saw tiny, little crabs and other crustaceans in the bubbles as the wave receded back to sea. In the white foam, seagulls flew, in the chopping waves, a hungry shark hunted a school of fish, and, in the swirls of the most deepest sea-green, a mythical creature seemed to dance in the water, a half-man and half-fish creature.

Nico smiled, remembering his mother's tales of such imaginary creatures. The way she described them, a fierce beauty they possessed, it had captured Nico's imagination. Images of silver and green scales, heavenly hair and shining eyes swam in his head, and the thought of his mamá brought a stinging pain to his heart. He pushed it away.

Running from his problems did him no good, so he was told, but really, Nico just wanted to stay in his state of security, whether it was illusion or not. He forced his eyes back upon the sea's rolling waves. The imaginary creatures were gone, no dolphins or gulls, only the swirling green, and, with that, his fairy-tail mermaid.

Where the fairy tail fish swam in the water, Nico swore there was a flicker of movement in the waves. It was faint, hidden in the rocking waves and green tint of the water, but it was getting closer. It made only a slight disturbance in the water, just enough so that Nico could watch, as the tide pulled it into shore as it receded. He stood, trying to make out what it was.

A sea creature fought weakly against the waves, a blueish tail flopping in the current like seaweed, about as pathetic as well. Nico felt a pang of pity in his heart. Then its tail broke the surface of the water, for a mere moment, brandishing a scaly fin of a spectrum of blues and greens that could only belong to the sea. The second thing Nico saw was the net.

A horrible net. It was wound tightly around the poor fish's tail, and trailing up the body that was still hidden in the waves. No wonder it was this close to shore; it was wounded. Nico took some steps towards the ocean. Determined to help the poor animal, he felt around his pockets for his pocket knife. Finding the small blade, he approached the waters.

He was about fifteen feet from the water, when the animal lashed out at the waves again, suddenly. Then, Nico froze, as the animal was thrown onto the sand, water receding, and the boy saw its true form.

Breathing heavily, and barely moving now, a boy lay stranded in the sand, but not a human boy. His torso and there on up was human, but below, where his legs should have been, the bright blue tail was in its place. He lay on his stomach in the sand, scales still glimmering from the wet sea. Nico almost dropped his blade. Before him, a real, live mermaid. He dared to slowly creep closer.

A sympathetic noise came from his lips as he got a newer look at the net the poor thing was trapped in. It wound around his tail, ripping the fins, wrapping up his back, around his left arm, and over his head. From where Nico stood, it seemed to be holding him very tightly too. He hated to think how painful it was.

The mermaid looked to be unconscious, probably exhausted from a fight with the net and sea. He knelt down to him, it was obvious that it was a 'he', with slim hips where the skin met scales, and wild, wavy, blonde hair that hung drying that barely graced his shoulders. His skin was sun-kissed, with a dusting of freckles, and, Nico admitted, he was really adorable, for a creature of the sea. He pulled his mind away from the handsome beast, however. He drew his knife, and leaned forward.

 

\- - - - -

 

Will wanted to die.

He prayed for an end to the pain he was in. The net was suffocating him, restricting his tail and swimming over all. It dug like a thousand tiny spears into his skin and scales wherever it met them.

He was powerless as the current dragged him ashore. He never thought he'd come to hate the dry land so much. He had flailed one last time, but, that had only proved to be his last straw, before he was dashed upon the gravity-ridden sand.

Then, as he lay, pitying himself, he felt a slight pop, near his shoulder, plus a joyous, albeit small, amount of relief where the net was suddenly loose. He willed himself to awaken.

Another pop, and numerous smaller ones as the net's pain seemed to leave and only leave behind a slight stinging. He felt his bound limbs relax. But then...if the harsh waves of the sea couldn't undo the hellish knots, what was removing the net from him?

His eyes snapped open, converting his pupils to slits from the rising sun. He saw a face, but, it was the two legs that caused him to screech and flail out again.

The human jumped back, with a cry of surprise and fear, but he came back, and Will was too weak to do more than whine and move his tail slightly on the sand. Will had pretty much accepted his death at that point, and he let his fatigued limbs fall limp back to the sand.

 

\- - - - -

 

It was begging for death, Nico could see the plea in the mermaid's blue eyes, he was suffering. Although it had tried to lash out at him, with strangely clawed hands, Nico pitied the boy. He came closer again and looked the boy in the eyes. He held the knife, between his thumb and index finger, the least threatening way he knew, and showed it to the mermaid.

The blue eyes only stared at it, glazed with pain, and Nico couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm going to help you," he said softly and gripped the knife properly. He slowly moved closer to the thickest knots on his back, and, ever so slowly, began to continue cutting away the binds.

With every cut, Nico noticed, the mermaid seemed to study him. Nico wasn't sure if he liked that, the blue irises watching his hands' every move, if it meant that the moment he was free, the mermaid would try to kill him. He was just taking the chance.

The biggest knots were taken care of, and Nico moved to the mermaid's tail. If the net wasn't bound so tightly, and blood wasn't oozing out of a terrible gash in the flesh, Nico would have marveled even more at the anatomical wonder. He set to work cutting the net away, he couldn't stand to see such a creature held like this.

Now, the mermaid was almost completely free, yet, the poor fish didn't make any movement. His breathing was coming in shallow breaths. Nico gulped.

He reached for the mermaid's wrist, where the net was cutting into his skin from where it was wound so tightly. He made quick work of it, and looked into the mermaid's eyes to see if he was making any effort to react.

The blue depths just continued to stare back, the pain in them had lessened, but they still held mystery.

Nico cut the final piece of net away, and stood back. The mermaid did not move.

Nico waited for any sign from the creature, but he made no movement on the sand. His blue eyes, fixed solely on him, filled with some emotion Nico failed to understand.

"Come on," he muttered, "Don't give up now." He returned to the mermaid's side on the sand and placed his hands under his arms and pulled him over

The mermaid whined a complaint, yet was barely protesting as he did earlier, as Nico pulled him, as gently as he could manage, towards the receding tide. Though, it was far from easy. His tail made the process awkward. The mermaid whined as the sand grinded against his cut-up skin.

Nico apologized, and set the fish-boy down in the sand, then rolled his jeans up on his ankles. He slipped one hand perpendicular under his shoulders, then the other just under the area where his hips met his tail and hoisted him up. His head lolled back slightly, and Nico propped it up by adjusting his arm. The mermaid looked weakly up at him with glazed eyes, but there was understanding in the blue pools, like he was thanking Nico.

He winced at the sting of the cold water on his feet, pressing against him in an icy pull. Cautiously, Nico continued to wade farther out. The mermaid looked at the swirling current in the distant surf, then back to Nico. He had a look on his face that Nico perceived as dread, and he stopped his march.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked, trying to figure something out.

The mermaid just shook his head, and pointed to Nico's feet.

 _"Here_?" Nico said, shaking his head in the down-direction where the Mermaid gestured.

The blonde mermaid nodded a 'yes.' Nico obliged and slowly set the mermaid down in the water that barely reached his mid-calf.

\- - - -

Will instantly squirmed in joy when the water touched him, the most movement he'd made in the last few moments, and submerged himself, lazily flicking and swishing his tail in the water.

His cuts stung like fury, but the water on his skin was worth it. He had gotten enough dry-time to last a merman's lifetime. Still, he knew he wasn't in the proper shape to return to sea. He may have to make use of the brute standing over him for sometime.

His head came back up and he rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows. He looked at the human, who was smiling stupidly at him.

Will softened his gaze momentarily. The boy was cute, perhaps around his age, maybe younger, with dark, curls of black hair that hung over his eyes, and smooth olive skin. And that smile, it was so pure and warmed Will deep inside.

The stranger bent down, slowly reaching his hand out to Will, who perceived the gesture as a gesture of trust, friendship maybe. However, as handsome as this stranger was, Will didn't want to trust him. Or any human for that matter. He turned his nose up and backed away, eyeing the boy.

"You don't really have a choice..." The boy said it like Will didn't understand him like he was some sort of dumb animal. Will narrowed his eyes. He didn't move forward, but nor did he shy away. He knew. He knew he wouldn't get far in the open sea.

The boy must have understood Will's notions, because he nodded, and pulled his hand away.

"I see..." The boy said quietly, a colder demeanor around his lips. "Well," he stood back up to his normal height. "I bet you're hungry...unfortunately..." His eyes swept towards the inland in a way Will did not understand. "Maybe you like fish...?" The boy said, Will's posture perked up immediately. The boy grinned, understanding the merman's meaning. "The name's Nico by the way."

"Will." Will said softly, his chapped lips cracking. The boy's eyes widened. "My name's Will."


	7. Friend!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico takes Will's well-being into his own hands, making a new friend along the way.

Nico's mind was swimming excitedly as he made his way away from the beach. He couldn't stop it from buzzing with amazed thoughts and who could blame him? He had found a mermaid, a real, live mermaid. That did not happen every day, for a fact. In fact, no one has probably seen a mermaid in the last millennium or so, and here Will washes up on the shore, where Nico had happened to be camping out. He didn't know what was driving him, but Nico was determined to nurse the sick mermaid back to health, to see to it that he made it back home.

Unfortunately, for Nico's case, there probably weren't any encyclopedias on mermaids in the town library. There were probably no 'Mermaids 101' or 'Guide to a Healthy Sea-Person.' Nico knew they ate fish. That was all.

Okay, he figured it was fair enough. He could manage, and he would. How hard could it be to keep the mermaid fed?

As the scrawny boy walked down Main Street, his backpack slung over his shoulder, he pulled his hood of his brown jacket over his head. This had two reasons; one, to shield himself from the slight drizzle of rain that was beginning to pour, and, two, to keep his face hidden. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure if his father and stepmother had contacted the police over his disappearance, in fact he highly doubted it, but he was not going to take the chance. He was not ready to go home, not yet. He tugged the hood up farther as he walked into the supermarket.

The store itself was pretty sketchy, with dust on the shelves and a few flickering lights, but the produce seemed decent. What wasn't decent were the prices. 'Bargains,' they called them, but Nico called them 'rip-offs.' He was glad he'd had the foresight to take a bit of cash out of his parents' bank account. It's not like they would miss it anyways. With a fancy, new car every other week and diamonds galore, he doubted they would miss four-hundred dollars.

He scanned the aisles as he trekked through the store, looking for the seafood section. Will had asked for fish, specifically, fish. He wasn't sure about crab, or lobster, and Nico was almost positive Will wouldn't appreciate fish sticks. He didn't want to upset the mermaid, but he also didn't want to poison him either. That would be kind of bad. Who knows what mermaids are allergic to.

Soon, he located the seafood, a smaller section in the far-right said of the store next to the deli. He made his way over to the display of seafood and pressed his nose to the glass as he studied the variety of fish that lay before him. There was salmon, trout, flounder, halibut, mackerel, crabs, shrimp, clams, and a plethora of other things. He grimaced when he realized that some of these fish were probably native to freshwater, and that Will had probably never seen those in his life. The even bigger problem was that Nico didn't know the difference himself.

"Do you need something, boy?" A gruff voice said from over the counter. Nico looked up to see a beast of a man glowering at him out of the corner of his eye. He was chewing a piece of gum, and using grimy fingers to scratch his scarcely-haired head. Not the most beautiful image of humanity.

 "I was wondering which of these fish came from the Atlantic, specifically." He said. "Would you happen to know?"

The man raised an eyebrow, but he leaned over the counter and began pointing to different merchandise. "That sea bass there, that's pretty obvious." He eyed Nico, "The mackerel, the herring, the flounder, those crabs, and," he reached over to a farther side with his other hand, "that bluefish." Nico noticed a bandage wrapped tightly across his hand, around a small stub where his index finger should have been.

Nico's mouth gaped slightly at the mutilation and before he could stop himself, "What happened to your hand?" he blurted out.

The man glared at him, "First you ask me what fish come from the ocean, then, you question my injury. What are you, a random-question generator?" He growled.  
  
"I didn't mean to pry it's just, I didn't expect a supermarket employee to have lost a finger." He stammered.  
  
The man narrowed his eyes, "I'm a fisherman." He said, "I work here too so I can pay off a little more debt."  
  
"So, a _fish_ bit your finger off?"  
  
The man leaned away, he looked around like he was making sure no one was watching. Then, he leaned forwards again, closer. "Tell me, kid." He said in a low voice. "You believe in myths?"  
  
Nico's eyes widened. _Did this beastly guy know Will_. He shakily shook his head 'no'. "I um, I'll take two mackerel, sir."  
  
He got his fish avoiding the man's sharp glare, and got the hell out of that supermarket.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
Will sat in a spot he'd found surrounded by rocks. The water was shallow, but was also calm as the rocks provided a convenient barrier. They were also very good to hide in.  
  
He sat on the rock, allowing the rain to draw the stinging salt out of his cuts. It was working, but not well enough. He didn't have anything with him. No bandages or poultice or anything.  
  
He'd been avoiding using his tail to swim, instead, he'd been pulling himself along with his arms in the gentle current. The tiny cuts on his skin from the net was were one thing, but the gash in his tail, that made it almost impossible to swim, that was another. If he didn't move, it didn't hurt as much as it just stung and throbbed, but when he did, it felt like he'd been mauled by a shark. Looking at the long cut in his flesh, he could see the scales and tissue beginning to rot and die. It was infected.  
  
He was about to open his mouth in a curse, when he heard footsteps walking down the shore. He pulled himself behind the rocks, retreating to the water, and peeked over.  
  
It was that Nico-human. He had some translucent sack in his hand and he was looking up and down the beach, looking for Will probably. Will was really hungry. This human _better_ have brought food for him.  
  
He ducked between the waves and pulled himself towards the shore.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
The beach was barren, only a few gulls squawked here and there as Nico looked around for the mermaid. The fish-human had *better* be here. Or else Nico had spent his money on disgusting fish for nothing.  
  
Will had to be here somewhere. The thing was in no shape to go off on his own. He must be hiding somewhere.  
  
"Hello?" Nico called out cautiously, he approached the water near the rocks. "Are you there, Will?" He got no response.  
  
The boy sighed and took his grocery bag from his shoulder, then kneeled to roll up his pant legs. He grimaced when he looked down at the slimy goods in the bag; gross, slimy, nasty fish. Willing himself, he picked one of the mackerel up by the gills, and waded into the tugging waves.  
  
"Will...?" He called out again, "I have something for you, Will!" Nico thought he must look like some idiot talking to the sea with a dead fish in his hand, although, for another reason, he looked around, making sure there was no one watching him. The dunes and the cove were empty but for a few scarce gulls. A crab scuttled across the sand, and that was all. He was just paranoid, and he chided himself for being so.  
  
Nico turned back around, almost had a heart attack, and fell over into the water in surprise.. Will was right there, had been right there, not two feet from him, and he saw why. The mermaid was blending perfectly with the colors of the shore. His tail, a kaleidoscope of blues and greens, was reflecting the color of the green-blue sea, and his skin, and his golden-blonde hair, were the same hues as the sand on which he was skimming across. It was beautiful (and honestly terrifying), how he was really a creature sea-born. The only thing that stood out against the sand were those bluest-of-blue eyes.  
  
The mermaid snatched up the fish in one quick motion and retreated to a rock. His stolen prize in his mouth, he began to hungrily tear into the fish with sharp teeth. He watched Nico with blue eyes as he gulped down fish guts and flesh.  
  
"Bleh..." Nico stuck out his tongue and scrunched up his nose in distaste as he stood. "Thief." He accused. The mermaid paused his gorging, looking at Nico's face.  
  
"What?" The boy said.  
  
"Nico." The mermaid's lips moved.  
  
Nico paused, forgetting his situation at the surprise of hearing his own name. "Yes...?" He answered cautiously.  
  
"Nico." The mermaid repeated.  
  
"Yeah, that's me." He replied.  
  
The mermaid just blinked at him, then continued to eat fish, leaving Nico to wonder about him.  
  
When Will had picked the last of the bones clean, which honestly did not take much longer and Nico had barely dried any from his second dip in the sea, the Italian boy pulled out the second of the fish and he swore he saw the mermaid drool.  
  
He laughed and began to wade closer to the mermaid, fish in hand. Again, Will backed away, but Nico marched forward.  
  
"You aren't getting any of this unless you come and get it yourself." He declared.

The mermaid, seeming to have understood his words, narrowed his eyes. Whether it was out of distrust or frustration, Nico didn't know, but it didn't matter. Will was detaching himself from the rock he was clinging to. He was coming closer to Nico who readily held out the fish.

"That's it," he coaxed, "Just a little more," the mermaid was only a yard away, studying Nico like an open book. His eyes were darting between looking at the tasty fish and Nico's gaze. When he was a mere foot away, he slowly pushed his head above the surface of the water and opened his mouth, reaching for the fish. Then he stopped, and cemented his blue gaze on Nico.

"Nico." he said, and Nico froze, forgetting himself in Will's gaze. His hand loosened, and suddenly, with a splash of salty water, the mermaid made a grab for the fish.

"H-Hey!" Nico protested and made a playful lunge for the mermaid's stolen good. Will giggled and played along, pulling himself out of Nico's reach, gliding over the sand to the deeper water.

The mermaid looked back at Nico, who saw it as an expectant gesture. Nico grinned, and rolled up his trousers a bit more, and dashed out into the surf after the mermaid. Will squealed in delight, and let Nico pursue.

"You aren't getting away that easy!" Nico exclaimed and splashed through the ocean after his new friend. The mermaid kept gliding out of his reach, letting him get closer, then darting through the water again, all the while, nibbling on the delectable fish. It was good fun, that they had. Neither boy or merman were reminded of any cares of the world, they were just lost in a dreamy fascination with one another. Will, with his new specimen of study, and Nico, forgetting his strife, with his new-found friend.

"I almost got you!" Nico cried and jumped into the water, cannon-ball style, next to Will. He giggled happily as he stood up, water logged, shaking his wet hair from his eyes so he could actually see. Suddenly, he felt the world slide out from underneath him as Will took him by the legs and brought him back down into the water. Nico landed with an "Oof!!" and felt himself land on the mermaid's tail as he was gliding along.

"Will!" he protested like a child who was playing an unfair game. There was an unusual silence, no response. "Will?" Nico called out again. Had he hurt the mermaid? Scared him?

He looked through the water, studying the surf for the glimmer of the mermaid's body. Sure enough, that's where he was, just beneath the waves.

"There you are," Nico said, and came closer. The mermaid was curled in a position similar to a fetal position, clenching his tail, all the while looking at Nico with a saddened gaze. "What's wrong?" Nico murmured, holding a hand out to the mermaid. Will inched towards Nico, using his arms to propel him, no movement from his tail. He poked his head above the surface, then turned to the side, and lightly waved his tail. He drew Nico's gaze with his own to the blue fins.

Nico saw the injury on Will then. It was a long, nasty-looking gash in the blue scales. Around the edges, it was turning black and sickly-looking. It wasn't a pretty sight to see and Nico understood why their game had ended so abruptly now.

"You're hurt," Nico said, Will nodded. "I know just the person for this."


	8. Trust and Cowardice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico seeks help for Will, however, it's not only Will to whom a hand reaches out to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry; updating this on a schedule is almost impossible now. I didn't even realize how long ago I finished the last chapter!! I feel bad now...anyways...without further ado.

Will was nursing his tail when he heard voices from over the dunes. He froze, then scrambled behind the rocks, cautiously peering over.

"Will? You named your dolphin Will?" He heard an unfamiliar voice say as two heads of black hair bobbed just beyond the horizon of dunes."Well..." He heard Nico's voice. Will could just make out the differences between his unruly black hair and the stranger's plainly-unkempt hair. They were walking over the rocks onto the cove, Nico following an even taller human, and Will could finally see the stranger's face. Tanned skin, green eyes, there was something familiar about him that Will couldn't put his finger on... There was a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Like, Free 'Will'y? Jeez, Nico, I knew you were a nerd, but really?"

"Oh shut up will you, Jackson? And I didn't name him." The shorter teen pouted as the crossed into the cove.

"Oh, was he tagged?"

"No, he told me his name."

"A dolphin. Told you his name?"

"Well...you see..." Nico wrung his hands. "He's not exactly a dolphin..."

The stranger paused in his walking. "Well then what is he? If he's a person, you shoulda called an actual doctor, not the kid of two marine biologists. Jeez, I don't know what I'm-"

"Just listen, Will you!?"

"Okay, okay!" The stranger threw his hands up in surrender. "I just don't know if I can help..."

"You will, trust me." Nico said and dragged the stranger by his wrist to the shore.

Will pulled himself farther behind his rock as the the two waded into the water. He felt upset, that Nico would bring this stranger, that Will didn't trust. He sunk into the shallow water until it was up to his nose and remained still.

"Will?" Nico called. The merman didn't move. "I brought someone to help you."

Will peeped out from his rock, ever so slightly.

"Come on, Will, you can trust him." Will poked his full head out from behind the rock and gave Nico a worried look, glancing at the stranger.

"Nico!!" The person exclaimed when he saw Will's face, "I said I can't help peopl-!"

Nico silenced him with a sharp jab to his gut.

"Come on, Will." Nico continued to coax. Will narrowed his eyes, this stranger didn't look very smart. He scowled, debating with himself. If the stranger was as dumb as he looked, he might not be of any help to Will, but he didn't have to worry about him trying to catch him or anything. He trusted Nico enough too.

Slowly, he inched away from the rock. The stranger's mouth dropped open and his eyes got really wide.

"Nico..." He murmured, "Where did you find him...?" The stranger took a step forward towards Will. Will froze.

"He washed up on shore tangled in a fishing net." Nico said, "I helped him out of it but he's hurt badly."

"That's amazing," the stranger said, but he was focusing on Will more than he was Nico. He held out his hand to the merman. Will leaned away and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, hey now, I'm not gonna hurt you, bro, I'm cool."

He spoke foreign language that Will did not understand.

Will drew his lips into a snarl. With a slightly-off motion he fled behind his rock again.

Nico sighed and clutched his head. "He's afraid of you, Perce." He groaned.

The one he called 'Perce' frowned, "Sorry Neeks, but it's not like I can- Oh! Wait a second!" He suddenly exclaimed and started to dig around in his bag.

"Percy, I don't think Will-"

"Shush! Peasant!" The Percy-human waved Nico away, then pulled out a weird object from his bag. It looked like two slightly flattened cakes on top of one another, a light tan color, and sponge-like. There was a weird substance between them.

"Oh no, Please don't poison him." Nico said, Will couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or legit fear in his voice.

"Pssh." Percy laughed, "Our dolphins back home love tuna!"

Tuna? Did he hear correctly? Forget dolphins. Will loved tuna!

Percy split the cake so that there was only one side with the tuna on it. He took a bite of the empty piece (much to Nico's disgust) before tossing it to the water and held out the other one for Will.

"C'mere, boy," he called gently and made a clicking noise with his tongue that, for some reason, got Will's attention.

"Percy, he's intelligent, he doesn't-"

"Shush! I know what I'm doing!"

A mouthwatering aroma hit Will's nose. It was pungent, and he supposed not very pleasing to humans as Nico had his nose covered, but he liked it.

He floated away from his rock, and slowly approached the tall stranger. Percy's expression grew delighted as Will came closer to him. He held out the tuna on the sponge-cake-things eagerly.

"Be careful." Nico said, no doubt remembering how Will had stolen his earlier meal. Will looked at him with his best 'just watch me piss you off' look, and calmly began to lick the tuna straight from Percy's hand.

It tasted good! Really good! Fake, like the kelp cakes back home, unlike other fish he'd tasted, with a spice that made it all better. It almost didn't taste like fish at all.

"What!?" Nico exclaimed.

"See!" Percy said, "He obviously likes me better, don't you, Will?" The merman didn't respond. He was just fine with ignoring the noisy humans. Besides, it wasn't really worth it at the moment.

He barely cared when Percy traded the tuna off to Nico and ventured behind him to his tail. He could hear the boy muttering things along the lines of 'scale color' and 'fin condition.' It wasn't anything he hadn't heard before.

"Poor thing," Percy said, "It doesn't look like it feels all that good..." Suddenly, Will felt a sharp sting on his tail as Percy laid a hand on it. He hissed and whipped around. While Nico had jumped out of his skin and fallen into the water, Percy just returned Will's glare with a smug look.

"You don't scare me, fish boy," Percy said. And while Will gaped indignantly at him, Percy, with a swift motion of his hand, jabbed something sharp into Will's side. He cried out, more out of surprise and humiliation than pain. Percy had the wits to at least jump out of the merman's grasp, for Will would have gutted him right then and there, except, now, he was beginning to feel a bit light headed. Scratch that. He was feeling really lightheaded. The colors of the sky, sea, and sand blended together in his vision. Will vaguely remembered being cradled (wait what.) by someone. He gave in to the dizzying feeling, falling asleep in a pair of gentle arms. He cursed out that Percy human in every curse he knew. At least, that's what he planned to do, after his nap.

.......

The sleeping mermaid in Nico's arms was a bit awkward, but it was too adorable for Nico to protest. Under Percy's instructions, he was to just gently support Will's body so that Percy could stitch up his tail without much of a problem. That put Nico in a terrible situation.

He couldn't deny it, the mermaid was cute. He wasn't sure if that was unnatural, but Will was pretty human, at least from the waist on up. He still couldn't get over how his skin and hair, different shades of sandy brown and gold, blended nearly perfectly with the sand, and his eyes, albeit closed, were stuck in Nico's head, how those blues reflected the blues in the waves like a mirror.

Maybe Nico had been out in the sun for too long.

Yeah. He concluded that he needed a bit of rest. Some proper food as well. The apple Percy had supplied him with earlier was not going to cut it. He could almost taste chicken McNuggets on his tongue...

"There," he heard Percy say and Nico looked up, "That should do it." Percy had finished stitching and was rubbing a medication onto Will's cut. The boy seemed to be extremely fascinated with the sea creature, as his eyes kept darting across the scales. "I still can't believe you found a mermaid. A mermaid, Nico, a real, live mermaid! How many people do you think have seen one of his kind, Nico?"

A sudden chill went down Nico's spine. "Um, Perce." he said with a warning tone.

"Yes?" the green-eyed boy looked at him, heeding Nico's tone of voice.

"You can't tell anyone." He sated simply. Percy nodded. "I'm serious."

"I know, Nico."

"No, I'm really fucking serious. You _cannot_ tell a soul. I don't want to think about what would happen if...they found out about him." Nico realized his voice was shaking, and he had been pulling the sleeping sea-creature's body closer to himself.

Percy nodded once again, with a more vigorous movement, "I know, Nico. I don't want anyone to hurt him either. I've seen what they do to dolphins in the show business. They kidnap the babies, they beat them, hurt them, starve them, dress them up in the most humiliating things, make them jump through hoops of fire and barbed metal," a visible shudder passed through his body as he recounted, "It's awful. Your mermaid is too precious for that."

Nico huffed a laugh, "Thank you, Percy." he said, "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," the boy said, with a good-natured smile.

The afternoon passed in a comfortable silence for both of the boys. Since Will's sedatives had not worn off yet, the mermaid slept like a log on a rock while the two humans stayed beside him on that same rock. Nico decided he needed the rest. As for himself, he was getting quite sluggish in that later hour, but he was still awake. He was reduced to watching the sun paint the sky many kinds of reds, oranges, violets, and other colors as vivid as wild flowers. It was beautiful, however, Nico was thinking about something in particular that his mind kept straying to.

"How are things back home?" he said. His voice was so quiet, it barely disturbed the smooth silence on the sea shore.

Percy didn't look at him, rather the sunset on the sandy horizon. "Stupid." he stated. "Your 'parents' haven't even contacted the police."

Nico scowled. It wasn't like he had expected much else, still, it stung to know that information. "What about Hazel? Jason?" he changed the subject.

"They're good, worried their asses off, but they're doing okay."

Nico smiled, remembering his half-sister and the golden boy. "I bet." he said and leaned back onto the rock.

"Yeah." Percy nodded, "I mean, I guess it could get worse- HEY!!" He suddenly cried out and was almost startled into the sea, "What the hell are we waiting around for!? They all think you're dead!" he rounded on Nico.

"Now wait a secon-"

Percy mad a grab for Nico' hand, which he was denied. "Nico! You can't just-"

"I can do what I want to, Percy." Nico growled, suddenly on edge.

"Nico. They're killing themselves trying to find you."

"That's their problem."

Percy looked taken aback; he looked at Nico with furrowed eyebrows, "How can you say that, Nico? Are you ungrateful? I know your dad and your step-mom cause you shit, but you gotta act like the entire world's against you, that you don't have anyone to go to?"

Nico gritted his teeth and scowled, but his eyes refused to meet those of Percy's, "How dare you," he growled, "I'm not ungrateful. It's that nobody understands. Not since..."

"Understands what? What is there to understand?" Percy scoffed, unrelenting. Nico felt a cold weight in his stomach. Even though he'd only glimpsed the green depths briefly, it stung like fury.

He muttered something, something bitter, under his breath.

"What did you say?" Percy asked.

"I said, _nobody can know_!" He snapped, finally, but he instantly regretted it, especially when he saw the hurt look on Percy's face. The boy remained like stone though, and he stood up from the rock. Nico said nothing as Percy left, he didn't look back to see him disappear over the dunes.

He questioned why he was such a coward. Why couldn't he open up to anyone. He almost did it before, with Jason, and with Hazel, but to Percy...that was an unthinkable task. He thought he may have been over it, that the endless night that consumed his heart would finally break into day, and this painful infatuation would reduce, but how could there ever be a day if there is no sun, how could he stop loving if he had nothing else to mend that empty, broken part of his heart. _Nico di Angelo_ , he cursed, _you are a coward_.

Still, a horrible thought repeatedly rebounded through his conscience; _He still holds my heart in the palm of his hand, and I've chased him away._

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think in the comments!!!


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